Carlsberg replaces multipack plastic with 'sustainable glue'

Drinks manufacturer Carlsberg is set to replace plastic can holders with glue in its multipacks of lager.

The company said the cans will be joined with small dots of glue strong enough to hold drinks together in transit but which are “easily snapped apart when required”.

British drinkers will be the first to try the new “snap packs”, with the first shipment of 6x330ml Carlsberg Export cans arriving in Tesco stores nationwide on 10 September.

The company has been working on the solution for three years, and hopes it will reduce its global plastic usage by more than 1,200 tonnes when it is rolled out across all four, six and eight packs of cans.

It claimed the glue will reduce the amount of plastic used in multi-packs by “up to 76%”.

A Carlsberg spokesperson confirmed to SM that the glue used to join the multipacks is fully recyclable alongside the cans.

In a statement, the company said its supply chain, sustainability and development teams had “worked closely” with branding departments to “innovate in ways that will make a difference to both consumers and the climate”.

The scheme has the support of WWF, which called the scheme a “big step” forward in the company’s battle to reduce plastic.

Bo Øksnebjerg, secretary general at WWF Denmark, said: “Our wildlife is drowning in plastic – and the problem is unfortunately growing considerably. We therefore need to act now. We need less plastic to end up in nature.

“That is why we consider it huge progress that Carlsberg is now launching solutions that significantly reduce the amount of plastic in its packaging.”

Cees ’t Hart, chief executive of Carlsberg, called it an “important day” for the company.

“We are working hard to deliver on our ambitious sustainability agenda and to help tackle climate change,” he said.

Liam Newton, vice president of marketing at Carlsberg UK, added: “We know this is an ongoing issue, not just in the UK but globally, and while we will always be looking for new ways to reduce Carlsberg UK’s future impact on the environment, the introduction of the Carlsberg Export Snap Pack marks a significant plastic reduction today.”